News Story
Justice Department Official Who Resigned in Protest in ’80s Dies at 83
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Arnold I. Burns was a top Justice Department official in the 1980s when he and others resigned in protest of Attorney General Edwin Meese III’s handling of Iran contra and a number of other issues. Burns died of cardiac arrest and complications from Parkinson’s disease, the New York Times reports. He was…
Man Who Stabbed Border Patrol Dog in Neck Sentenced to Six Months in Prison
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A Guatemalan man who stabbed a Border Patrol dog in the neck was sentenced to six months in prison Tuesday, The Monitor reports. Luis Gilberto Cruz Solis also will be deported. Solis was with a group of about 30 people who illegally crossed the border in May, according to the Monitor. As…
Homeland Security Remains without a Leader As Authorities Struggle to Find Nominee
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com With Janet Napolitano out, Homeland Security is without a nomination for a new chief. Maybe that’s because it’s a thankless job that can spoil a reputation, the Washington Post reports. “It’s a high-risk job,” one observer told the Post. “If something happens on your watch, you’re done.” OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST…
FBI Agents Talk About the Harmful Impact of Budget Cuts
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Budget cuts are taking a bite out of FBI operations, and harming the fight against all types of crimes, from corruption to counterterrorism to battling gangs and violence. The FBI Agents Association on Monday released a new report — Voices from the Field — that provides FBI Agents’ first-hand accounts of…
ACLU Recommends Budget Cuts Amid Imminent Government Shutdown Threats
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com New FBI Director James Comey may have to make big cuts to the bureau’s budget because of a government shutdown and last year’s sequester. The ACLU has some ideas about “programs that deserve to get the axe, because they’re ineffective, undermine innocent Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, or simply offend American values.”…
Tech Companies Urge Congress to Shed More Light on Secret Information Requests
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com More than two dozen companies and numerous trade groups are endorsing bills that would open more light on the government’s secret information requests, the Verge.com reports. The businesses and trade groups are showing their support for bills that would allow them to reveal when they receive requests for national security-related data. Among…
Federal Government Can’t Cut Most Homeland Security Employees
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A vast majority of Homeland Security employees cannot be forced off the job because of a government shutdown, the Washington Post reports. About 86% of the department’s 231,000 employees are considered “essential,” which means they must remain on the job for the “safety of human life or protection of property,” regardless of…
Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Takes Over as UC President
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano took over as the president of the University of California on Monday, but she’s already facing challenges. A group of student activists are asking for a “no-confidence” vote to express disapproval over her hiring, the Associated Press reports. The activists said Napolitano is a bad choice…